Air France
Air France is an airline that is based in Paris, and has teamed up with the KLM, to be the founding leaders of SkyTeam alliance. The airline's global hub is at Charles de Gaulle Airport with Orly Airport. Air France's corporate headquarters, previously in Montparnasse, Paris, are located on the grounds of Charles de Gaulle Airport, north of Paris. The airline revamped the safety videos in 2015. Air France introduced the Airbus A380 in 20 November 2009 from Paris to New York JFK Airport. Air France is a full service global airline. As of 2011, it flies to 36 domestic destinations and 168 international destinations in 93 countries (including Overseas departments and territories of France) across 6 continents. This includes Air France Cargo services and destinations served by franchisees Air Corsica, CityJet and HOP!. Generally the destinations include Singapore, Berlin, Bremen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Munich, Nurnberg, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zurich. Air France is also the leading airline in the Europe to use Boeing 787. Fleet *Airbus A318-100 *Airbus A319-100 *Airbus A320-200 *Airbus A321-100 *Airbus A330-200 *Airbus A340-300 *Airbus A350-900 *Airbus A380-800 *Boeing 777-200ER *Boeing 777-300ER *Boeing 787-9 On 16 September 2011, Air France-KLM had announced orders for 50 Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s with 60 options. Air France-KLM has a commitment for 37 Boeing 787s, 25 directly and 12 leased, of which 16 are earmarked for Air France to replace some A340-300s, subsequent A340s would be replaced by Airbus A350s from 2019. The first Boeing 787-9 entered into service with KLM in 2015 and with Air France in early 2017. Air France-KLM has 28 A350s on firm order. In June 2019 the group announced a revision of the original order with Air France becoming the sole operator of the Airbus A350, with KLM only operating Boeing 787s, including six originally earmarked for Air France. The first Airbus A350-900 (named Toulouse) was delivered to Air France on September 27, 2019. Airbus A380 Air France signed as a launch customer for the Airbus A380-800 "superjumbo" in 2001. Air France had ordered 12 Airbus A380-800 aircraft, with options on a further two. Air France was the first airline in Europe to operate the A380. The first A380 was delivered on 30 October 2009, and the Paris to New York route was used as the first route. All of Air France's Airbus A380s depart from the airline's international hub at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Terminal 2E (Main Terminal, Satellites 3 and 4). In 2018, the Chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith announced the airline would retire 50% of the Airbus A380 fleet by 2021 due to expensive costs, poor efficiency, and in favor of adding more Airbus A350-900s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners to the fleet. Air France is only retiring the five aircraft that were leased to the airline by not renewing their leases and instead of returning them to directly to Airbus. The five Airbus A380 aircraft bought by Air France will continue service from 2020 onwards with renewed cabins. On 23 June 2019, Air France-KLM began considering removing all of their Airbus A380s earlier than planned due to concerns that investments for cabin retrofitting and economics would not work. This means that if Air France-KLM makes the decision to remove all their Airbus A380s earlier than planned, the non-leased Airbus A380s will never be seen with retrofitted and modernized cabins. In August 2019, Air France-KLM revised retirement plans on the Airbus A380 and announced that the entire Airbus A380 fleet would be retired by 2022. This will lead to Air France-KLM eliminating all quad-jet planes from their fleet by 2022 with the exception of the three KLM Cargo Boeing 747-400ERFs operated by Martinair. Instead Air France-KLM will evaluate the Airbus A330neo aircraft and/or additional Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s as replacement aircraft to replace the A380 fleet instead their original plan of refurbishing 50% of the Airbus A380 fleet with modernized cabins. Air France-KLM announced an additional order in December 2019 for 10 more Airbus A350-900s, intended for Air France, to replace the nine remaining Airbus A380s and increase the Airbus A350 fleet size from 28 to 38 aircraft. On 2 January 2020, Air France retired its first A380. Concorde The five Air France Concordes were retired on 31 May 2003, as a result of insufficient demand following the 25 July 2000 crash of AF Concorde F-BTSC, at Gonesse (near Charles de Gaulle Airport), as well as higher fuel and maintenance costs. British Airways flew its last Concorde service on 24 October 2003. Concorde F-BVFA was transferred to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport. F-BVFB was given to the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum in Germany, F-BTSD to the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, while F-BVFC returned to its place of manufacture in Toulouse, at the Airbus factory. F-BVFF is the only example to remain at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Boeing 747 The airline started operating the 747 on 3 June 1970, when a 747-100 was put into service that was delivered 20 March that year. It would go on to operate the -200, -300 and -400 variants. In January 2016, Air France finally retired its last Boeing 747-400. They were replaced by Airbus A380s and Boeing 777-300ERs. Freighter versions were replaced by Boeing 777Fs. Category:Airlines